Pokémon Tool card (TCG)
Pokémon Tool cards (Japanese: ポケモンのどうぐ Pokémon Tool), sometimes referred to as Tool cards[1], are one of the four primary types of Trainer cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The other types are Item cards, Supporter cards, and Stadium cards. Pokémon Tools often depict held items from the Pokémon games, such as the Exp. Share and Leftovers. Pokémon Tool cards are color-coded as purple, as highlighted on its Trainer type and Trainer rule.
Pokémon Tool cards were first introduced in the Neo Genesis expansion as a subclass of Trainer cards. From the start of the Black & White Series up to the end of the Sword & Shield Series, Pokémon Tool cards were considered a subclass of Item cards. In the Japanese TCG, Trainer cards that were not Supporter cards or Stadium cards were considered Item cards in the LEGEND Era; however, no Pokémon Tool cards were printed during its run, so this classification only applied to interactions with older cards.
From the Scarlet & Violet expansion, Pokémon Tool cards are considered their own category of Trainer cards, distinct from Item cards.[2] All Pokémon Tool cards introduced in prior expansions received errata stating they were no longer treated as Item cards, meaning cards that affected Item cards no longer affect Pokémon Tool cards. Further signifying the division between Pokémon Tool cards and Item cards, Pokémon Tool cards as of the Scarlet & Violet Series began to feature purple color coding instead of the original blue. There are currently 252 different Pokémon Tool cards, although many have multiple prints with different illustrations.
Information
Pokémon Tool cards are played by attaching them to a Benched or Active Pokémon. Once a player attaches a Pokémon Tool to a Pokémon, the Pokémon Tool may only be removed by the effect of a card; removed Pokémon Tools are typically discarded, as are those attached to a Knocked Out Pokémon. Pokémon Tools typically provide a positive effect to the Pokémon it is attached to as long as they remain attached. Players are allowed to play as many Pokémon Tool cards from their hand as they wish during their turn. Typically, a Pokémon can only have one Pokémon Tool attached to it, although there are some Pokémon cards that can have multiple Pokémon Tools attached. One such exception is the Ancient Trait θ Double from the Ancient Origins set.
Some Pokémon Tool cards, such as Rapid Strike Scroll of Swirls and Forest Seal Stone, have an attack or Ability printed on them. While such a card is attached to a Pokémon, that Pokémon can use the attack or Ability on the Pokémon Tool card instead of an attack or Ability on its own card. These cards typically have additional criteria to be met, such as the name or classification of the Pokémon the card can be attached to.
As of the Paradox Rift expansion, Technical Machines are reperesented in the TCG on Pokémon Tool cards instead of a subclass of Trainer cards. Similarly to the cards mentioned above, they allow the Pokémon that they are attached to to use the attack printed on the card. While these cards do not typically have a limitation on what Pokémon they can be attached to, they are discarded from play at the end of the turn as per previously released Technical Machine cards.
Team Flare Hyper Gear
Team Flare Hyper Gear (occasionally also known as Pokémon Tool F and once identified as Pokémon Tool Flare[3]) are a type of Pokémon Tool card found exclusively in the Phantom Forces expansion. There are only two Team Flare Hyper Gear cards: Head Ringer and Jamming Net. Unlike regular Pokémon Tool cards, they have a negative effect on the Pokémon that they are attached to. This is because Team Flare Hyper Gear cards are attached to the opponent's Pokémon-EX instead of a player's own Pokémon. This is governed by what has once been identified as the Pokémon Tool Flare Rule, printed below the artwork in place of the usual Pokémon Tool rule.[3] Team Flare Hyper Gear cannot be attached to any other kind of Pokémon, including regular Pokémon, and discard themselves if they are ever somehow attached to a Pokémon that is not a Pokémon-EX. (Usually, this is due to an effect that switches a Pokémon in play for a Pokémon out of play, such as that of Ninja Boy.)
As Pokémon can only have one Pokémon Tool card attached to them at a time, attaching a Team Flare Hyper Gear to a Pokémon prevents them from having a different Tool attached by their owner. However, if a Team Flare Hyper Gear becomes unattached from a Pokémon for any reason, it moves to the discard pile of the owner of the Team Flare Hyper Gear instead of going anywhere else.
Team Flare Hyper Gear cards are visually distinct from normal Item cards, likely to help players remember if a Team Flare Hyper Gear is attached to an opponent's Pokémon and retrieve the card from their opponent when necessary. They have a red border, red-tinted frames, and a "Flare" logo behind the effect text.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Online and Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
In Pokémon Trading Card Game Online, Pokémon Tool cards shrink down to a rectangular icon of their artwork when attached to a Pokémon, and return to normal otherwise. If a Pokémon Tool card has no effect for any reason, either because its criteria is not met or because an effect of a different card is removing the effect of the Pokémon Tool card, the icon for the Tool will be greyed out and a red "X" is displayed over it. In the former case, an "effect" represented this state of having no effect.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Live's representation of Pokémon Tool cards is broadly similar, except that the visual effect for Pokémon Tool cards that have no effect is removed. In cases where a Pokémon has two Pokémon Tool cards attached at the same time, the second card is displayed mostly underneath the first, with only the lower border and the lowest part of the artwork peeking out. When a Pokémon has more than two Pokémon Tool cards attached at the same time, the game displays a number next to the two visible Pokémon Tool card icons. When a card is focused on, a row in the interface is dedicated to displaying the number of attached Pokémon Tool cards and an icon for each.
List of Pokémon Tool cards
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The following is a dynamic list. Its subject matter requires frequent updates to remain current and complete. This list should typically be updated every month. The last time this page was edited was on January 29, 2026. |
In other languages
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ポケモンのどうぐ Pokémon no Dōgu | |
| Chinese | Cantonese | 寶可夢道具 Pokémon Douhgeuih |
| Mandarin | 寶可夢道具 / 宝可梦道具 Bǎokěmèng Dàojù | |
| French | Outil Pokémon | |
| German | Pokémon-Ausrüstung | |
| Indonesian | Pokémon Tool | |
| Italian | Oggetto Pokémon | |
| Korean | 포켓몬의 도구 Pokémon-ui Dogu | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Ferramenta Pokémon | |
| Russian | Инструмент Покемона Instrument Pokémona | |
| Spanish | Latin America | Herramienta Pokémon |
| Spain | Herramienta Pokémon | |
| Thai | ไอเท็ม Pokémon Tool | |
References
- ↑ TCG Live
- ↑ 2023 Pokémon TCG Standard Format Rotation and Pokémon Tool Errata, Pokémon.com
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Head Ringer Team Flare Hyper Gear on the Trading Card Database, Pokémon.com. This is not true of Jamming Net.
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This article is part of Project TCG, a Bulbapedia project that aims to report on every aspect of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. |